• Join Us |
  • |
  • Sign in with:

Late Night Consoling

by Alec Matias, Nov 05, 2004 8:00pm PST
Related Topics – Ubisoft, Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Bungie, Square Enix, MMO, Nintendo DS, Games: Console

Although some lucky gamers out there were able to acquire Halo 2 early, it doesn't appear likely that we'll see the street date broken. The question now is where does Halo 2 stack up against Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Half-Life 2; two games that have recently been attributed the award of "best game ever." Will it be the third game in three weeks to garner that "exclusive" title or will it fall short, much like Fable? Some magazines out there are running their reviews, such as EGM and Game Informer, giving the game perfect 10's. The Internet embargo is lifted at 3pm EST on Sunday, so we'll soon see how the big sites out there feel about Bungie's latest.

NDS Latest Details on the DS' Wireless Capabilities European gaming magazine EDGE had a few new details regarding Nintendo's upcoming portable. Primarily, Nintendo is hard at work on wireless voice chat protocols to make use of the mic headset. At the same time, other companies are researching ways to use the Nintendo DS as an Internet browser. Square Enix has been looking at adapting its PlayOnline service for the DS, possibly in anticipation of a MMORPG. Finally, while the official line is that the DS supports up to eight players, some developers have been able to accomodate up to 32. Of course, all of these are in the experimentation stages, but it's interesting to see what the DS is potentially capable of doing.
Xbox Oddworld Stranger Gets Bumped Up Originally planned for a spring 2005 release, Oddworld Stranger is now expected to hit store shelves in January. Not only that, but the game has gone back to being an Xbox exclusive. At one point, Microsoft was going to publish the title but they opted-out and it was picked up by Electronic Arts who then claimed it'd also find a home on the PS2.
NDS Ubisoft Plans 3 For DS Launch Window While the U.S. launch is still taking form, Ubisoft has announced that they will have three titles available alongside the Nintendo DS on or soon after November 21. The three games will be Rayman DS, Sprung and Asphalt Urban GT and each will come at the suggested retail price of $29.99. The title most gamers may be unfamiliar with would be Sprung, which is best described as a dating simulation.
Xbox Final Bungie Update *sniff* Even before I was hired at the Shack, every Friday we linked to the Bungie Weekly Update, giving all of us an inside-peek at the game everyone was waiting for. Well, with its release just a few days away, this will be the last update regarding Halo 2. Frankie doesn't have much to say in the update, just a few bits about the new online features and a teary-eyed farewell.
PS2 Xbox GCN Misc. Q&As/Features Xequted talks with Epic Games' president Mike Capps about Unreal Championship 2. GameSpy chats with the music producer of Halo 2, Nile Rodgers. GameSpot speaks with Dan Duncalf about Pipeworks and Godzilla. TeamXbox sits down with the senior producer of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. IGN has a discussion about lightsabers with a couple developers of Knights of the Old Republic II.
  Misc. Media/Previews
PS2 The Magic Box provides new media for Death by Degrees and Devil May Cry 3. GameSpot has a ton of gameplay footage for Gran Turismo 4 and Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends.
Xbox GameSpy has gameplay footage of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. IGN details the online gaming revolution going on over at Bungie.net.
GCN Game Informer has what they are calling a "movie blowout" of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. GameSpot has impressions of the retail copy of the same game.
NDS Planet GameCube has some hands-on impressions of the Nintendo DS unit. GameSpy previews one of the DS launch titles, Mr. Driller Drill Spirits (NDS). The Magic Box has new shots of Yoshi Universal Gravitation (NDS). GameSpot tells us their impressions of Madden NFL 2005 (NDS) and Spider-Man 2 (NDS). IGN details the story of Feel the Magic: XY/XX and goes hands-on with Bomberman (NDS).
PS2 Xbox GCN New shots of ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (PS2, Xbox) are at Game Informer. 1up has the latest preview for Dead to Rights II: Hell to Pay (PS2, Xbox). TeamXbox has the first shots for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (PS2, Xbox, GCN). GameSpot slaps up gameplay footage of Godzilla: Save the Earth (PS2, Xbox). New screens of NFL Street 2 are at IGN.
Console Game of the Evening: Kid Icarus for the NES. "This just might be the very best platformer for the NES. Shoot arrows at goofy blue ducks, collect hearts and hammers, watch out for witches and buy yourself some wings! All in the quest to kill Medusa! And it's dang hard too!" (submitted by SilverSnake).


Read all the News


Comments

16 Threads | 59 Comments
  • #55
    Refresh Thread
    By: dmiller x
    Reply
    I figure I'll do this here too (re-posted from ER)..

    CONSOLE SHACKERS: Let me introduce you to http://www.swapyourgames.com !!!

    This service is pretty sweet. Here is how it goes:

    1. Pick what game you want
    2. Pick what game you want to swap for it (the prices are listed in the blanks).
    3. Fill out the information.
    4. They will FIRST send you the copy of the game, you will then send your copy to complete the swap in the attached (free shipping) envelope.
    5. When you get your ordered game, put your game in the envelope and sending it back- takes two seconds.
    5. That's it!

    I traded Ocarina of time for GC for Zelda Four Swords Adventures (for like 10 buckks).
    I also swapped Fable Xbox for Burnout 3 Xbox for 5 bucks!! I'm totally happy with the service. Part of the reason why I like it is that I don't feel like I'm trading two, three or four games for one. It's basically a one for one trade.

    NOTE: The service takes around a week to get the game, and you need to re-mail your swapped game within 48 hours (really easy to do, just follow the instructions and they already have a self-addressed envelope , so all you do is just slide your game into the envelope, seal it and put it back in the mailbox.

    It's pretty cool, I've done it twice and am about to do it a couple more times with games I don't really want anymore.

    If you do plan on doing this, they have a referral system, so if you want, add my name (Dan Miller, miller.dan(AT)gmail.com)- just to say thanks.

    I do want to stress, that the referral system isn't that important to me, I just thought some of you could totally dig this service. It's a cool service and I'd like to see it stay in business.
    Nov 06, 2004 2:37pm PST

    Thread Truncated. Click to see all 2 replies.